It would be fitting for this group of Northwestern seniors to set a school record on Senior Night. But getting that 12th Big Ten win has proven elusive.
The Wildcats failed to do it twice last week, as a miracle week quickly gave way to a treacherous one. Northwestern's five-game winning streak saw its end with a second-half collapse in Champaign last Thursday, followed by a 16-point loss on the road against Maryland on Sunday.
But that 12th win is still attainable. The Cats will get their first crack at it on Wednesday night. Penn State is coming to town for the final home game of the season, and a win is crucial for the coveted double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT (BTN).
The midweek contest also happens to be Senior Night, and it's only right to give those soon-to-be graduates their shine -- even if they could decide to come back next season.
Five seniors grace the Wildcat roster, and this team would not be in this position without them. They've led the way to tying the program record for Big Ten wins with 11; beating the No. 1 team (Purdue), and four ranked teams in a season for the first time in school history; sweeping the so-called basketball state of Indiana; and reviving basketball fever in Evanston.
Chase Audige, Robbie Beran, Boo Buie and Roy Dixon III deserve praise for sticking with this program through some dark days to get to this point. Along with grad transfer Tydus Verhoeven, who arrived this season, this group of seniors will be forever remembered for changing the program's trajectory.
Let's dig a little deeper into who these Cats, the ones responsible for this renaissance, and why they mean so much.
Chase Audige
The redshirt-senior from Pennsylvania began his Northwestern career in 2019, when he sat out the eventual COVID-shortened season after transferring from William & Mary.
Audige was a star In his first season on court for the Cats, leading the team in points, field goals, and steals, while finishing second in threes, blocks, assists and minutes. He regressed some the next year, due in part to a nagging hip injury, but he was still second in the conference with 42 steals.
This season, though, has been his best by all accounts. He scored his 1,000th point and remains the team's second-leading scorer, but his defense has been what has made him special. Audige on Tuesday was named as a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, which is appropriate for a season in which he has totaled 69 steals, third-most in program history and seventh-most in the nation this season.
Overall, he is averaging 14.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in a career year for the Cats.
Robbie Beran
A Richmond, Va., native, Beran has played more than anyone else on this roster. He has clocked 115 games played, with 95 starts to his name.
Beran came to the Wildcats as the third-highest ranked recruit in program history (at the time), and his dedication has been admirable. He has only improved in his tenure at Northwestern, and this season has been the best of them all. He is averaging 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds, as well as 23 blocks and 17 steals.
A classic stretch-4, Beran has improved over his career as a defender and shooter, especially from the foul line. Something the numbers don't highlight is his defensive effort and hustle. Beran serves as an engine for the team and, when necessary, he can step up and be the third scorer to support Buie and Audige.
Boo Buie
Buie is the heart-and-soul of this team, a player whose name spurs choruses of the the most positive "BOOOOOO"s that a crowd has ever shouted. He is the Wildcats' captain and floor leader, and will likely be named All-Big Ten first team -- even opposing coaches have said it.
The senior guard from Albany, N.Y., has always been able to score, but this year he has been special. He managed double figures all four years of his tenure, but 17.2 points per game is by far his highest. He leads the Wildcats and is fifth in the conference with 4.5 assists per game.
Buie, like Audige, tallied his 1,000th point this season, and some of his baskets this season have been absolutely massive -- see, for example, his game-winner against No. 14 Indiana with two seconds left. He has scored in double figures in 26 of 29 games this season, with his best coming in a career-high 35-point performance against Illinois last week.
No. 0 has been a hero time and time again for the Wildcats, often with his patented floaters in the lane. His career numbers and achievements push him in the direction of great Wildcat point guards like Bryant McIntosh and Juice Thompson.
Roy Dixon III
Dixon is easy to overlook as a senior who rarely plays. Dixon has played only 35 minutes and scored just four points in his career. But there is a reason that he has stuck around.
The walkon from Atlanta is a glue guy, and you can tell by the way the rest of the team holds him in high regard. A perennial fan favorite, the crowd goes wild whenever he steps on the court. The last thing an opposing team wants to see is first-half Dixon minutes, because that means that the Wildcats have a big lead and they are likely done for.
Dixon has his teammates respect, and he deserves the same respect from Wildcat fans for remaining on the team as a walkon through all the Wildcats' struggles over the years.
Tydus Verhoeven
What an addition Verhoeven proved to be for the Wildcats this season. The UTEP grad transfer's impact cannot be understated.
Verhoeven averages just 2.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, but those numbers don't begin to tell the story. He provides valuable rest to starting center Matt Nicholson, and gives tremendous defensive effort, often leading the team in hustle plays. Then, when you least expect, he seems to come up with a loose ball or clutch basket that proves to be critical.
Verhoeven has become something of a cult hero to Northwestern fans, and his short time in Evanston will be looked upon fondly.
Now, on to the game.
Penn State currently sit in 10th in the conference at 8-10, but that doesn't mean that they are not dangerous. They have managed to do two things that Northwestern couldn't this season: beat Michigan and sweep Illinois. They also boast a prolific offense, sitting seventh in the conference with 72.8 points per game.
Super-senior guard Jalen Pickett, a first-team All-Big Ten candidate, spearheads the operation, and he is one of the most versatile guards in the Big Ten, if not the country. He averages 18.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, commanding the all facets of the offense. PIckett is also a rare guard who can post-up; he likes nothing more than backing down his defender in the paint.
Seth Lundy can also cause some trouble on offense. The sharpshooter averages 14.3 points per game while shooting 41.7% from deep. He also does hard work on the boards, grabbing 6.2 rebounds per contest.
The final major scoring threat for Penn State is Andrew Funk. The guard puts up 11.8 points per game, shooting 40.3% from beyond the arc in the process.
After those three, the Penn State offense begins to falter, especially in the front court. Freshman Kebba Njie is their highest true-big man scorer with 3.5 points per contest. This means that locking down guards is the name of the game, which plays to the Wildcats' strength. It will be interesting to see if Northwestern continues its practice of doubling players in the post.
Penn State has earned its best wins when the team shoots well from three, and, as Northwestern learned in Sunday's loss to Maryland, that can be hard to overcome. Strong perimeter defense is a must for the Cats if they want to avoid a Senior Night embarrassment.
That elusive 12th conference win is attainable for the Wildcats, especially with the Wildside there in support. Northwestern is playing meaningful basketball in March for the first time since the 2017 team made the Big Dance, and there's no better place to start the magic month than at Welsh-Ryan Arena, where the Cats have won 14 of 17 games on the season.
